Tiger Woods, left, shakes hands with Nick Price after beating Price in the first round of the World Match Play Championship in 2005. Price says his Jupiter Island neighbor can return to being one of the PGA Tour’s top players despite his recent physical setbacks and time away from the game. (AP Photo/Denis Poroi) Photo: DENIS POROY

Nick Price has not doubt Tiger Woods can be great again

Nick Price has long been a steadfast believer in the possibility of a comeback by his Jupiter Island neighbor Tiger Woods. So when Price was asked at the Big Dog Ranch fundraiser on Monday at Dye Preserve, he pointed immediately to the positives.

“Twenty-four birdies,” Price said. “If he’d made three or four it would be different.

Price was referring to the tournament-leading number of birdies Woods made during the Hero World Challenge two weeks ago in his first competitive rounds in 466 days. But he also made a tournament-high six double-bogeys.

“But I spoke to Louis Oosthuizen, who played with him, and he said he hit some of the most beautiful iron shots, which Tiger is capable of,” Price said. “So I just hope he gets back and wins.

“I’m like everybody else: I know it’s going to be hard for him to be the dominant player he once was. But there’s (so) much talent there. If he’s got the will and determination he’ll get back to winning. But to be the dominant player he once was? That’s going to be difficult.”

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Price said Woods’ success could hinge on whether he can overcome the driving problems he’s struggled with the past few years.

“The main thing is putting the ball in play, even if it’s with 2-irons and 3-woods,” he said. “When you drive the ball badly you can’t compete at that level. So that’s what he needs to focus on.

“I thought his swing looked a lot better (in the Bahamas), and hopefully his back is strong. At 40 he’s got to have another seven, eight years. Maybe even 10. Vijay (Singh) won into his 50s, and Davis Love III as well. With Tiger’s talent, maybe it’s even 12 (years). But a minimum of eight years competing on the regular PGA Tour.

“And we need him; golf needs him, we really do. No disrespect to the guys who are on top now, but Tiger fills a void.”

Price’s lofty standing in the golf world got a boost last year when the players on the International team insisted he return for a third straight captaincy in the Presidents Cup.

“We were having our party at the end of the last one and Adam Scott stood up and made a fantastic speech on behalf of the team,” Price said. “He looked at me and said, ‘We all want you to do it again.’ Which was like, I mean, that was huge. Brought a tear to my eye.”

Price had been campaigning for years to drop the number of points contested in the Presidents Cup from 34 to 30, and was successful last year. The Internationals have only one win and one tie in 10 tries in the biennial event, which will be played at Liberty National in New Jersey next fall, but came close last year, losing 151/2-141/2.

“We should have a very, very strong team this time,” he said.

Ryder Cup captaincy: Jim Furyk, who was also at Monday’s event, made his vice-captain debut in the Ryder Cup in September, putting him on the short list for when the 2018 captain is announced early next year. Furyk admitted it is an uncomfortable position to even discuss.

“I don’t want to stick my neck out, because I’m not running for office,” he said. “I also want to let them know that, yes, if asked, I’d love to have the job. Who wouldn’t? It’s a great honor. I don’t know when they’ll choose the next captain, but I would love to be involved, if not as captain then as vice-captain.”

Billy Horschel, a close friend of Furyk — both reside in Ponte Vedra Beach, home of the PGA Tour — sounded like he’s got a pretty good handle on the identity of the next few captains.

“(Steve) Stricker is going to get the one in Wisconsin in 2020, and Phil (Mickelson) will get New York in 2024. So you’ve got Jim Furyk for 2018 in Paris, and I’ve heard Fred Couples is back in the mix.

“I would like to see Jim get France; he’s a really good friend of mine. But if Freddie gets France in 2018 and Furyk gets Italy in 2022, that leaves Tiger to take it in 2026. So you can pretty much plan out who the captains are going to be after they name this one.”

Furyk, who has played in nine Ryder Cups, said it’s his favorite event in the sport because of the emotion.

“You see guys who are usually pretty stoic pumping fists. Just to see the emotion Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy had (this year),” he said. “Both are pretty passionate people, but the mouths wide open, screaming at the top of their lungs, veins popping out of their necks, you don’t see that on a weekly basis. It shows how much passion both sides of the pond have for the event.”